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Hey friends! I’ve got another easy and inexpensive project for you…just in time for the fun season of family gatherings and gift giving arrives. Before I begin, I wanted to remind you to follow along with me on Pinterest, Instagram, HomeTalk and Facebook, so you don’t miss any blog posts!!

This post is all about how to make your own rustic, moss chalkboard! It’s an inexpensive and easy project that I know you’ll love making for your own home!

First, I’d like to point out where all this inspiration came from, which occurred when I was prepping for a live video tutorial on HomeTalk’s Facebook page. The focus was on how to make a “DIY, Pottery-Barn Inspired Moss Letter,” and you can learn how to make one yourself by clicking here.

Let’s begin!

Supplies

old or unwanted frame with glass insert

chalkboard paint

a couple of sponge brushes

drop cloth or some sort of protective layer for the frame and glass to rest on

chalk

hot glue gun and long glue sticks

“bushy” moss (see pic below)

plastic fork

Start with a few preparations: heat your hot-glue gun, clean the glass, and remove it from the frame. Follow the directions on your paint can, or do what I do….Before opening the paint, make sure the lid is on real tight, and give it a good shake to insure that the paint is mixed really well.

Next, using your sponge brush, spread a few, thin layers of the chalkboard paint onto the glass. This step will take a little patience. Trust me….I’ve had to learn the hard way. If you don’t let the paint dry in between each coat, it will pull up and off the glass at random spots, and it’s just a pain to have to keep fixing that problem. So, if you just give it a little patience, you’ll save yourself a lot of headache. 😉

(The above photo is how the paint looks after the first coat of chalkpaint.)

(The above photo is how it looks after a few layers.)

While the paint’s drying in between coats, work on your moss frame.

The directions are really easy, so pay attention or you’ll miss it! 😉 Tear apart your moss into little pieces, and then add strips of hot glue to your frame. Quickly add your moss, while the glue’s hot, and then press down the moss using your plastic fork. Easy peasy!

Now that your frame is covered in moss, you’re ready to add the glass insert into the frame!

All you have to do now is “season” the chalkboard. Take your chalk, rest it on its side, and slide it from side to side, completely covering the chalkboard.

Then, take a napkin or cloth and gently wipe all the chalk off, giving your chalkboard a “rustic” look.

Now that you’ve seasoned your chalkboard, it’s time to add the pretty details. 😉 Get creative on this one! You can add some fun garland, like the one I made below, and then use your leftover chalk to spell out a meaningful word, such as “family,” “gather,” “home,” or the current season! Or even try out some stickers! I placed some stickers onto the chalkboard as a tester (as seen in the pic below). Another fun idea is to use a stencil and some liquid chalk.

But I decided to go with the handwritten look. It’s now sitting as pretty decor in front of our fireplace. 😉 Oh, and I added a diy, faux birchwood banner as a little accessory to my chalkboard. Want to learn how to make this banner? Click here. 😉

And just as another pretty background, I had to display it in front of our shiplap. (Who else loves shiplap?!)

So, what do you think about this diy, moss-covered chalkboard? Do you have any other ideas as to how to use moss in your own home? I’d love to hear about it! Comment below, or stop by my social media and say hey! You can find me on Pinterest, Instagram, HomeTalk and Facebook!

Hey y’all! Before I begin, I wanted to remind you to follow along with me on Pinterest, Instagram, HomeTalk and Facebook, so you don’t miss any blog posts! And if you’re wanting some inspiration for your Christmas decorating and projects, be sure to stop by the blog on Tuesday, December 6th! I’m joining a super-creative group of ladies for the Home Decorators Collection Holiday Home Tours, and you don’t want to miss all the wonderful inspiration! 😉

Today, we’re going to talk all about this fun, Fall banner that’s not only easy to make, but it’s also budget-friendly! It’s a win-win all around! 😉

Okay, let’s get started!

Supplies:

Wood banner (This particular one was from the dollar spot at Target, but you could find a similar, pre-cut and unfinished wood banner from any craft store.)

Wood leaves (These are also from the dollar spot at Target, but you could use a different style of pre-cut wood pieces from any craft store.)

First, while your hot-glue gun is heating up, go ahead and set aside 2 wood pieces from your banner package. (This step is optional.) 😉 Next, choose a word that means something special to you, such as family, Fall, faith, or gathering. If you have enough wood pieces left, try to practice on one of them with your paint pen. This will help you to get comfortable with how the pen slides on the wood.

Third, once you feel comfortable with your pen, carefully write each letter, and then add thicker strokes on the sides of each letter, just to add a little oomph. 😉 I really loved using this pen….It definitely lives up to its name! The gold sparkles on the wood, and is so shiny! (No, I was not paid to share my opinion. They did, however, give me this glorious pens at the Haven Conference this past August!) 😉

Fourth, weave your string through each hole, leaving about an inch of space between each wood piece.

Lastly, tie a loose loop for hanging on either end of your string.

That’s it! How easy was that?!

I love this banner, because it’s great for every season, not just the Fall….For example, you could add some colorful, fabric flowers for Spring on either end of the banner, or weave some nautical rope for Summer in place of the jute string. There are limitless possibilities! I hope this post sparks your own creativity in some way!

A similar design to the project we’re doing today is Pottery Barn’s “live-moss letter,” which costs $80, but my project costs around $10…or even less (depending on how you use your craft-store coupons, or if you find these supplies in your local thrift store, which I’ve done on quite a few occasions!). 😉 This project is so easy…even a caveman can do it! It’ll take about 15 minutes, give or take, and you’ll absolutely love the results!

Supplies

a bag of “bushy” moss (from your local craft store)

wooden letter…or any type of letter or monogram (again, from your local craft store)

hot glue gun

hot glue sticks (preferably the long ones)

plastic fork (or plastic spoon or knife…whatever you’ve got on hand)

optional: glass of wine, a divinely-scented candle, and your favorite music playing in the background 😉

Let me preface by informing you that this project can get a little messy. Not to worry…it’s super-easy to clean up! Also, make sure you don’t hot glue any moss on the bottom part of your letter…or else your letter won’t want to stay sitting upright! Not to worry about that either though if it does happen….You’ll be able to pull some of the glue off once it’s dry, if you need to.

Before we begin, be sure to have everything ready to help set a fun ambiance while you work. Here are a few things I like to do when I’m getting ready to work on a project: 1. Pour yourself a yummy glass of wine. 2. Light your favorite, scented candle. 3. Turn on some fun music. (Want to know some of my favorites? Watch my live video tutorial with HomeTalk to find out!) 😉 (BTW, that live video was my very first one, so please have a little grace on any of my mishaps!) 😉

Let’s get started!

First, heat your glue sticks and hot-glue gun on the high setting.

Next, grab all your supplies, and pull out your moss, a few bunches at a time. (Try to separate these bunches…maybe into half-dollar sizes or smaller, depending on the size you get.)

Third, place a little hot glue on the letter, and immediately after, place a small amount of moss on the letter. (Now here’s my little secret trick. Use that plastic fork of yours to hold down the moss!) (Hey…I kept burning my fingers and was desperate to try something! 😉 Necessity is the mother of invention, right?!)

Repeat these steps until you’ve covered your letter. You might need to trim any scraggly moss around the edges, but it’s very simple to do. The great thing about this project is that it’s “perfectly imperfect.” If you mess up, you can easily fix it! Added too much moss on one side? Trim it! Cut too much off? Add more moss! You get my drift. 😉

That’s it! See?! It didn’t take long at all….Or did it? 😉

Below, I’ve included a few other project ideas when it comes to using moss. And basically, just use the same method that was used for the mossy letter. 😉 Very simple!

Project Idea #1 —

DIY Moss Stag (cost: about $10)

I picked up a wooden stag that was at my local crafts’ store…

…and then hot-glued the “stringy” moss all over the wood. (I googled the different mosses, and both the stringy moss AND the bushy moss are called reindeer moss.)

Once the hot glue was dry, I trimmed the mossy edges in order to give all the antlers and the body some shape.

All done! 😉

If you want to dress it up a bit, just tie some buffalo-checked trim around the neck to add a little oomph. 😉

You can use this stag throughout every season!

Project Idea #2 —

I’ve already written a blog post about this project, so please click on the direct link below for an easy tutorial!

My local crafts’ store was having a big sale on all their paper mache items, so of course, I had to purchase this item!

For this project, I used the “bushy” moss.

Just start hot-gluing the moss all over the base (i.e. all sides that are visible).

By this time, you’ve covered your entire surface (except the stag itself, of course)…but there’s one more thing that needs to be done…

All it needs is a little patience while you trim all the loose edges and gently shapen the corners.

Here it is all decked out in moss and ready to make a statement on your wall!

That’s it! I hope you’ve been inspired to create something fun for your home! If you’d like to see the live video tutorial from this DIY, mossy letter project, please click here.

So, what do you think about these mossy decor projects? I’d love to hear about it! Comment below, or stop by and say hey on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest! Thank you for all your love and support! I appreciate each of you!

Update: Please click here for the link to the actual live tutorial! My hubby and I had a blast sharing with y’all how to make moss letters!

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Hey friends! I wanted to share with you some very exciting news! HomeTalk has invited me to do a live, tutorial video on their Facebook page this Thursday, October 20th at 1:00 EST. (HomeTalk is a HUGE online community filled with DIY and gardening tutorials….They have over 2 MILLION followers on Facebook alone!!) I’m so excited, I can hardly stand it!

I’ll be talking all about how to make a $10 moss letter, similar to Pottery Barn’s $80 “live-moss letter”…and then show you other ways to use this wonderful, earthy product called “moss.” 😉 I’ll also be sharing some inspiring ideas on how to put together the perfect mantel for Fall!

This will be my first ever video, and my handsome hubby will be the cameraman! 😉 Hope to see you there!

This year, I wanted to decorate for Fall completely differently. I was just ready for a change! Have you ever been there? I decided that I wanted my accessories neutral — a mix of whites, off-whites, ivory, and natural colors. But, I didn’t have ANY neutral pumpkins. They were all various shades of ORANGE. So, that meant one thing — I had to go shopping for some neutral pumpkins. But after scouring my favorite stores for Fall decor, I found that not only were most mini pumpkins $1-$3/each, most of them weren’t even a neutral color! I was NOT going to pay an arm and leg for Fall accessories! That meant I had to get creative. So, I chose to spray-paint all of my pumpkins…all of the ones I already had and then search all my local thrift stores for more!

Spray-painting is a great choice. It’s easy, and it dries within minutes! But I didn’t want mine to all look the same, so I chose a variety of spray paints to use. I already had most of the spray-paint cans, but I still had to have an off-white chalky spray paint. So, I used my half-off coupon at our local crafts’ store and bought it!

A spray-paint accessory that I absolutely LOVE is called the “Comfort Grip” by Rustoleum. (Thank you, Rustoleum, for my new fave tool!) Have you ever used one of these fine products?! They’re fabulous! First, you don’t end up getting any spray paint on your index finger (those of you who have ever spray-painted something know exactly what I’m talking about!), and your finger doesn’t end up hurting from pushing on the trigger for so long! So, if you don’t have life saver in your arsenal, be sure to grab one the next time you purchase your spray paint. 😉

Anyways, back to my pumpkins. Here’s how they looked before….The pink one was only 70 cents at a local thrift store! 😉

And here’s how they look now….I have some piled high in a fun, olive bucket at our front door…

And I have one on our coffee table…

And more of these little beauties are piled up in an apple crate. 😉

And here’s another little pumpkin…

I love their fresh look! They have new life, and I’ll plan to keep these for seasons to come!

So, the next time you see some orange pumpkins (or some ugly pumpkins for that matter!), look past their delapidated state and think about what they could become…a collection of gorgeous and fresh Fall decor!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you’ve been encouraged to transform some dull pumpkins of your own…or at least I hope to have stirred your own creativity!

Have any questions or comments? Comment below, or stop by and say hello on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I always LOVE to hear from my readers! Have a wonderful day!

Hey y’all! Thanks so much for stopping by today! I’d like to share with you how I turned a brand new chicken feeder into a rustic, “aged” plate rack!

Have you ever searched for a plate rack with the perfect patina, only to discover that they’re so expensive?? Well, I have…and I just couldn’t bring myself to buy something that costs an arm and a leg when I could at least try to do it myself!

So, after much research on how to make a rustic display for my fun dishes, I embarked on this project with my fingers crossed! 😉

(Let me begin by saying that I’m by no means an expert on this topic, so if you think you might have a better way to do this project, go for it! When it comes to projects, I’m usually a wing-it-as-you-go type of girl, so these instructions are just for you to learn from me and take from this experience as you wish.)

Here’s what you’ll need:

A plastic bin or a narrow mopping bucket to hold the feeder while it rusts

A couple of large rubberbands

A few garbage bags

Distilled White Vinegar (Depending on how narrow your bucket is, you might need about 2-3 containers of vinegar. I used 2 containers.)

Clear Polyurethane Spray

Let’s get started!

First, take all your supplies outside or to a well-ventilated area, where you’ll leave your chicken feeder for a few weeks. (I left mine in the garage, in a tightly-sealed trash bag. If you do leave yours in your garage, make sure your bag is closed up well so that fumes don’t leak out.)

Next, place your chicken feeder into the trash bag and then into the bucket…as in the picture below.

Pour all the vinegar around the feeder, trying to splash the vinegar all over the feeder as you pour. Use a couple of rubberbands to seal the bag tightly.

Most of the how-tos on Pinterest for this project weren’t exactly accurate on the length of time it takes to age a chicken feeder — The process took a lot longer than just one week. Well, really, it just depends on how much “aging” you want to give your plate rack. I actually let mine sit in the vinegar for about 3 weeks, flipping it from top to bottom about once a week.

Once you’ve pulled your chicken-feeder-turned-plate-rack out of the trash bag, take it outside and wipe it down GENTLY real well. If you’re rough with wiping it down, you’ll remove some of the faux “aging” off the chicken feeder. Trust me….I had to learn the hard way. 😉 After removing all the loose remnants, give it a good all-over spray with your can of clear poly. This will seal up the rust and keep it from getting on your dishes. 😉

Let me clarify that this project is so, very easy….It just takes a little patience. You’ll be so happy with the results!

Here’s a comparison of the before and after. What do you think about this diy project?

Also, you might have seen the plate rack (styled below in our china hutch) in our kitchen remodel blog post. (If you’d like, you can click here for that post.) 😉

Thanks again for taking the time read all about my diy projects…mistakes and all! Lol. I hope you’ve gleaned something from this post. And I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, or drop by and say hello on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram!

Hey friends! Thanks for stopping by today! I’d like to share with you how we transformed our boring laminate floors in the guest bathroom and took them from blah to wow in just a couple of steps!

(This post is part 1 of a 2-part series. To see our completely renovated guest bathroom, part 2 of this series, please click this link.) 😉

Here’s what we used:

HGTV Home Showcase paint with an eggshell finish (in the color Snowbound) by Sherwin Williams

Nylox paint brush by Purdy

PowerLock Extension Pole by Purdy

9″ roller by Purdy

First, after sweeping the bathroom floor, my sweet hubby used his belt sander that he bought at a yard sale and sanded the entire floor. Then, using a damp cloth, he wiped up all the dust.

Next, using our paint and paint supplies, my hubby carefully painted the floors. Lastly, he dried the freshly-painted floor using a floor fan. We kept the fan blowing onto the flooring for a couple of days just to ensure that it was completely dry.

I am in love with the outcome of these painted laminate floors! They’re so bright and cheerful! I think we’ll eventually add a coat of poly to the floors, so that they’ll clean more easily, but other than that, we LOVE how the floors turned out! To view part 2 of this series (our renovated guest bathroom), please click this link. 🙂

I’d like to give a huge thank you to Sherwin Williams for the paint and supplies! They sent me these fabulous products for my honest review, and I’m happy to say that I’m very pleased with the outcome….I especially love the extension pole for our roller! It was such a snap to connect the roller to the pole, and my hubby loved the fact that he didn’t have to bend over to roll the paint onto the floor! Also, I love that this paint is a stain-blocking paint, plus it’s mildew-resistant….Perfect for a bathroom!

Thanks again for stopping by! What do you think about these floors? Is this idea something you’d do to your floors? If so, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below, or say hello on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me on Pinterest pinning pretty pics almost every day!

Thanks for stopping by today! I’m so happy Spring is in the air. It’s been here for quite some time now, but today is the OFFICIAL day of Spring! Woohoo! I go into hibernation during the winter, but when Spring comes, look out world….It’s my favorite time of year!!

So, to celebrate, here are some easy and colorful ideas for diy Easter eggs!

Here’s what you’ll need:

plastic or hard-boiled eggs (I used the matte white plastic eggs from craft stores for the sticker idea, and for the rest of the eggs, I used just the shiny, plastic eggs from the dollar store.) 😉

Idea #1: Stickers! These were super-easy to do. I didn’t apply any mod podge under the sticker….I only brushed it over the tops of the eggs, once the stickers were applied. And suprisingly, after the mod podge dried, the glitter and the metallic gold on the stickers still looked amazing!

Idea #2: Vintage hankies! I cut up just one hankie, and it yielded 4 eggs. This material was super-easy to apply! Simply brush mod podge onto the egg. Next, while the glue is still wet, apply the hankie strips to the egg, and smooth each strip out as carefully as you can. Lastly, brush on a final coat of the mod podge.

The eggs might look a little scary at first, but that’s okay, give them overnight to dry, and the next morning, they’ll be beautiful!

Idea #3: Tissue Paper! This material was also very easy to apply. First, I cut the paper into strips. Next, as in idea #2, I applied the glue before and after applying the strips.

Idea #4: Washi Tape! I made sure to use thin strips of tape in order to prevent the sides from sticking out on the eggs. But overall, they look great! Obviously, as with the stickers, I only applied the glue after I attached the tape to the eggs.

So, there you have it. Four simple diy Easter-egg crafts! What is your favorite? Do you have any other fun materials that you’ve used in the past? I’d love to hear about them! Comment below, or stop by and say hey on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I always love to hear from my sweet readers! And I’ll mention this again….If you’d like to see a live video regarding some of these DIY Easter egg crafts (and others), click this link!

And if you’d like more inspiration for your home, check out the Spring posts below! Have a wonderful day!

Hey friends! The weather’s feeling more and more like Spring here in Georgia, plus Easter is just around the corner. So, it’s high time we all begin to decorate for this beautiful season!

The first place I am choosing to focus on this season is our dining table. However, I didn’t really know how I was going to decorate our table. I needed inspiration. Of course, Pinterest is always one of the first places I visit, but sometimes just walking physically through a store — the smells, the colors, the textures — really helps to get my creative juices flowing. So, when I found this beautiful watercolor table runner from HomeGoods the other day, I chose to make it my focal point for our tablescape! The soft pastels with the pretty painted flowers screamed Spring in a soft way to me.

After choosing the focal point, I found some pretty, yellow plates that were in the same color palette as my runner. Next, I found some shabby chic, clear glasses with little bunnies on them. These glasses pulled out the same greens as the runner.

Also, I love how faux flowers are beginning to look more and more like REAL flowers. Wouldn’t you agree?? At one of the local crafts stores nearby, there were two separate types of peonies…the $5 kind and the $15 kind. I chose the latter. It just looked more real, the colors were more vibrant, and it felt like an actual flower! And with the 40% off sale, and then my additional 20% off coupon, I was able to get each stem at about $7 each. Not bad considering that one real stem would cost me $10 at my local flower shop! Plus, with my new fake flowers, I can re-use them over and over again, and I don’t even have to worry about remembering to water them. I’d say it’s a win-win!

So, let’s get started with how these items came together for our Spring tablescape. First off, I cleaned our table to give this space a blank slate.

Next, I added the first layer, which was a white tablecloth. (Now, I realize these first couple of steps are pretty self-explanatory, but I just wanted to show you from the beginning how this setting came together. Please bear with me!) 😉

And then it was the lovely table runner from HomeGoods…

After ensuring that the runner was evenly placed on the table, next came the green-grass chargers. I love how they bring out the greenery on the runner.

Now that I had my staples and the color palette I wanted to use for my table, it was time to put things together!

Tablescape #1

I started out with the yellow plates.

And as I mentioned before, the soft, green bunny glassware looked perfect with the watercolor runner, the yellow plates and the chargers!

First, I took my 4-pack flour sack dish towels and folded each one up to make 4 napkins. (Everyone needs to have at least one pack of these towels in their home!! You can do so much with them…but that’s a whole different blog post for another day.) 😉 I just folded them so that the plate would stick out on either side. Next, I chose to use gold flatware to pull out the yellow tones in the runner.

To add to the centerpiece, I inserted faux hydrangeas into thrifted, milk glass vases.

Tablescape #2

To switch it up a little, I replaced the hydrangeas with these beautiful faux peonies. Then, I replaced the flour-sack napkins with my collection of dainty, floral plates that pull out the pinks, yellows and greens from the runner.

Oh, and I felt there needed to be more pops of pink on the table, so I searched and searched for the perfect statement, and I finally found scraps of pink and white ticking fabric (that I bought at a yard sale). The funny thing is they were already cut into leaf-like patterns. How perfect was it that I could make them look like extensions of the peonies! I really love it!

Tablescape #3

Lastly, my third choice was to replace the yellow plates and dainty china with simple, white plates that I purchased for 99 cents each at a thrift store.

I also added some fun, pink stripey straws and more hydrangeas and peonies in thrifted, milk glass vases. 🙂

So, here are my ideas for Spring tablescapes…done 3 ways. I hope you’ve been inspired to create a colorful and thrifty Spring tablescape for your own home! I’d love to hear your thoughts! Comment below, or stop by and say hey on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, HomeTalk and Facebook. It always makes my day to hear from my sweet readers!

Hey friends! Today, I’d like to share with you a simple brownie recipe with a secret PUNCH that will take your brownies up a notch…majorly!

They’re so good, you’ll wonder how you’ve missed out on this yummy goodness all your life! I know, because that’s what happened to me. 🙂 One night, when my sweet friend Lydia made this brownie recipe for girls’ night, I about died and went to heaven! 😉 They were so gooey and perfect, I had to have that recipe! And so she graciously said yes! Haha! I promise….Once you make this recipe, these brownies won’t last long! And the crazy thing is….It’s so easy!

Here’s what you need:

brownie mix (family size)

eggs

vegetable oil

2 large Symphony Bars with the Toffee Chips (I know I only show one in the picture, but that’s because I only had one available. I kinda-sorta ate the other one with our popcorn the other night. Oops! These are a staple item in our home.) 🙂

9X13 baking pan

non-stick cooking spray

Here’s what you do…

Make the brownies according to directions on the box….Only, before you pour the mixed ingredients into your 9×13 pan, break apart one Symphony bar, and place each rectangle about 1″ apart into the greased dish. Next, pour your brownie mixture carefully into the pan. Finally, break apart your other candy bar and place each rectangle (evenly spaced) on top of the mix. Bake as directed.

I promise! You won’t be dissapointed! In fact, you’re going to love them so much, this deliciousness may or may not make it to your friends’ gathering. Lol! They’re amazingly good!

So, what do you think about this recipe? Are you inspired to try it out yourself?? I’d love to hear about it! Comment below, or stop by and say hey on Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram. It always makes my day to hear from my sweet readers!